Based in Sydney, Australia, Foundry is a blog by Rebecca Thao. Her posts explore modern architecture through photos and quotes by influential architects, engineers, and artists.

Jan 25 Is Anarchy Compatible With...? - 3rd Wave Feminism

I want to take a little time here to explain a situation that occurred to me via Twitter a couple of days ago, and explain an opinion of mine, which will later be explored in one of the “Is Anarchy Compatible With…?” segments. That said, I would like to briefly explore the question “Is Anarchy Compatible With 3rd Wave Feminism?”

So, a couple of days ago, I got into an hours long debate (I know, I know…why do I let myself get suckered into these things? Loyalty to truth…it’s a weakness. J) with three 3rd wave feminists, simultaneously. In these “debates,” some very emblematic things happened that many people who have “debated” 3rd wavers can attest to – especially if you are straight, white and male. Namely, I was called a bigot and a sexist. It was implied that I hit my head as a child and was mentally retarded. Oh, and I was told I had a small penis! Classic, right? In this debate of ideas and philosophies, they requested I provide proof of my opinions. Ordinarily, that is more of a scientific realm, and this was twitter, so I never felt compelled to do so. These were my opinions. Specifically, I was saying that the concept of rape culture is bunk (and it is), and that it is silly to promote dangerous governmental or political policies that reinforce this non-truth. I was constantly dismissed, spoken down to, and even when I provided a couple of links to YouTube videos by some prominent feminists debunking the “rape culture” myth, my posts were dismissed. (This is why I didn’t post “evidence.” Nothing I would’ve provided would’ve been accepted, or even acknowledged as “evidence,” unless it confirmed their points of view. This is partially why I view debates as a somewhat useless thing, generally.)

None of this was unexpected. I specifically called out to them their very ploys many moves ahead, and despite this, all 3 still went right ahead doing exactly that. In fact, it reminded of me the rather infamous debate on Bill Maher’s show between the team of Maher and Sam Harris against Michael Steele and Ben Affleck regarding Islamophobia. In that debate, Sam Harris calmly and brilliantly explained how leftists often conflate a critique of the Islamic religion with racism, and that this is intellectually dishonest. After virtually every point that Maher and Harris made, a brainless Affleck would illustrate this very thing, unironically. He was very serious, and insisted that a critique of the religion’s doctrine somehow made Maher and Harris racists. I’m digressing a little, but my debate with these feminists went very much like that debate between Harris and Affleck.

Sadly, my debates with 3rd wave feminists have all gone rather along these lines, with little variation. It’s almost as if there is a 3rd wave feminist script, all proponents are actors in the play, and they’ve all got their lines down perfect. So just in case one actor is sick, anybody else can stand in and take over the part. In fact, this is why I believe modern 3rd wave (and anything after) feminism is really just a cult. That’s an article for another day. Let’s just stick to the question at hand: Is Anarchy Compatible with 3rd Wave Feminism?

The short answer is…no. Not at all. Alright, so there’s your answer. If you’d like to stop there, feel free to. But for those curious as to my reasoning, stick with me a moment, and I’ll explain.

One thing we hear constantly from feminists is that the definition of feminism is the fight for equality between the two sexes. But this simply isn’t true. A simple exercise in etymology will prove this. Feminism is the arrangement of the words “fem” or “feminine” with the word “ism.” Dictionary.com defines “fem” and “feminine” as “feminine or ‘a woman’”, and “pertaining to a woman or girl; feminine beauty; feminine dress; having qualities traditionally ascribed to women, as sensitivity or gentleness; effeminate; womanish; belonging to the female sex; female,” respectively. And “ism” is defined as “a distinctive doctrine, theory, system, or practice.” In other words, feminism is literally the system or doctrine of women. And this definition is important because it illustrates the precise nature of the movement as being inherently exclusionary, and absolutely not about the equality of the sexes. But perhaps more importantly than that, that definition shows the movement to be at odds with one of the cornerstones of Anarchist philosophy – egalitarianism.

Dictionary.com defines egalitarianism thusly: “belief in the equality of all people, especially in political, social, or economic life.” So while feminism is the doctrine of women, egalitarianism is literally the very thing Emma Watson claimed feminism is – “by definition.” Sorry, Emma. For the question “the movement that is based on equality between all people,” the answer is “what is egalitarianism?”

For Anarchists especially, this idea in the inherent equality in the rights of people, this idea is paramount. And keep in mind, this isn’t an equality of outcome, but an equality of rights, which very well may be the only true form of equality. But that too, is a topic for another day.

So when a movement, like 3rd wave feminism, openly and publically calls for the castration of men, praises the lack of parental rights of the father, the destruction of the family unit, and equates consensual sex between males and females as rape, we should begin to see the decidedly non-egalitarian nature of the movement. The ideas of 3rd wave feminism reveal the movement to be inherently sexist, as well. These things together – and even if it were just one them – prove the movement to be completely at odds, and utterly incompatible with the philosophy of Anarchy.

I can already hear you asking, what about Anarcho-Feminism? That is a topic that will be coming, and explored more fully in another segment in “Is Anarchy Compatible With…?” as it is potentially something completely different than 3rd wave feminism. In the meantime, what do you believe? What have been your interactions with 3rd wave feminists been like? Do you agree with my points, or disagree? Leave your comments below, and let’s continue the discussion here, and on Twitter. Thanks for reading.